Who has the best walks matchup today (Thursday, August 6, 2026)?

Taylor Ward (SEA) — top of the board at 100, facing LHP Framber Valdez. An excellent bat into a beatable arm is what pushes it to No. 1.

What are the best MLB walks matchups today (Thursday, August 6, 2026)?

The top walks matchups on Thursday, August 6, 2026: Taylor Ward (100), JJ Bleday (100), Pete Crow-Armstrong (100), Geraldo Perdomo (100), Ian Happ (99). The full board ranks every hitter in every game by walks upside.

Did the top walks matchup get a walk on Thursday, August 6, 2026?

No — Taylor Ward didn't record a walk.

Which hitters have a platoon edge today?

Taylor Ward (SEA) — righty bat vs LHP, .200 against lefties this year. JJ Bleday (CIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .148 against righties this year. Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .112 against righties this year. Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) — lefty bat vs RHP, .152 against righties this year. Ian Happ (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .153 against righties this year.

How is the walks matchup score calculated?

It's a weighted read of the hitter's walks per plate appearance against the hand he's facing — the last two weeks, the current season, and a two-year baseline, with recent form counting most. Then it folds in the opposing bullpen, his expected plate appearances from the batting order, and park and weather. Scores are set 0–100 across the day's slate, so the best matchup is always 100.

What does BB/PA mean?

Walks per plate appearance — how often a hitter draws a base on balls. Around .085 (one walk every ~12 trips) is league average; .12+ is elite plate discipline. The matchup pairs the hitter's walk rate with how freely the pitcher gives them up.

What does the score actually mean?

Higher is better for the hitter. 80s and 90s mean the bat, the pitcher, and the park all line up. 40s and 50s mean it's neutral to tough. It's a ranking of how today's spots stack up against each other — not the odds of a walk.

What's the confidence meter?

It's how much data is behind the call — sample size on both the hitter and the pitcher, plus whether the lineup's official. A high score with low confidence is a thinner read than the same score backed by a deep track record. It's not a probability of a walk.

What is a platoon split (handedness split)?

Most hitters do better against the opposite hand — a lefty bat vs. a righty arm, and vice versa. That gap is the platoon split. The score leans hard on each hitter's rate against the hand he's facing today, which is why the same guy can rank very differently day to day.

What are park factors?

Parks aren't neutral. Dimensions, altitude, and weather make some easier to hit in than others. Above 1.00 bumps the score, below 1.00 trims it — same hitter, higher grade in a hitter's park than a pitcher's.

What do "2W", "SZN" and "2Y" mean?

The timeframes behind each rate: the last two weeks (recent form), the current season, and a trailing two years (a stable baseline). Recent form counts most, and small samples get pulled toward league average so a hot week doesn't fool the model.

What do "≈ est", "Due" and "Not starting" mean?

"≈ est" is a hitter we don't have splits for yet — a rookie or unmatched ID — shown at a league-baseline estimate instead of dropped. "Due" means he hasn't recorded a walk in a while and profiles for regression. "Not starting" means he was projected but didn't make the official lineup, so he slides to the bottom where you can still look him up.

Can I use this for walks props or DFS?

That's what it's built for — pre-slate research. The board surfaces which hitters have the best conditions today, and where one exists, we show the book's "1+ walk" line so you can shop the price. We're not a sportsbook and we don't post picks — we show the matchup data, the line, and the result. (Best-price and all-book odds are a Pro feature.)

How accurate is the model?

We grade every board against real results, and the top of the board lands a walk a lot more often than the slate as a whole. Weights get re-tuned weekly against actual outcomes on a held-out split, and since results sit next to projections, you can audit the hit rate yourself on any past date.

When do lineups update?

Projected lineups (marked "Proj") come from each team's last game. Official lineups usually drop about two hours before first pitch, and the board updates itself as they post. Batting order is a big driver, so it's worth a second look mid-afternoon — rankings shift as lineups lock.

Yes. The full board, every game page, and the daily archive are free, no login. Best-price odds and the betting tools are the paid tier.

Best MLB walks matchups — Thursday, August 6, 2026

Every hitter on the Thursday, August 6, 2026 slate — ranked by who's most likely to draw a walk. Results show how each call played out.

How the model did — Thursday, August 6, 2026

Our top 5 hitters went 1/5 (20%) on 1+ walk, against 41% on the season.

Top 5

1/520%

season 41%

Top 10

3/1030%

season 41%

Full slate

72/19836%

season 28%

Top call JJ Bleday came through. Taylor Ward didn't.

Final · 4–1

LAAaway

BALhomeTop matchup88 Final · 5–6

ATHaway

CINhomeTop matchup100 Final · 13–6

NYMaway

CLEhomeTop matchup83 Final · 2–5

PITaway

MILhomeTop matchup87 Final · 2–3

TORaway

CHChomeTop matchup100 Final · 11–0

DETaway

SEAhomeTop matchup100 Final · 3–7

WSHaway

PHIhomeTop matchup90 Final · 11–12

CWSaway

BOShomeTop matchup94 Final · 3–11

MIAaway

ATLhomeTop matchup89 Final · 4–3

MINaway

KChomeTop matchup82 Final · 5–1

SDaway

AZhomeTop matchup100

Not starting53 not in the official lineup — moved to the bottom

PosSort

#Hitter · Matchup · 251 shownScore

76 with a BBLive count — updates as games play

1
Gunnar HendersonSS
BALvsLAA· 0-for-1
3BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #38
2
Xavier Edwards2B
MIA@ATL· 1-for-2
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #33
T2
Chase Meidroth2B
CWS@BOS· 3-for-5
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #39
T2
Eugenio SuárezDH
CINvsATH· 1-for-2
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #58
T2
Matt Olson1B
ATLvsMIA· 2-for-3
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #70
T2
Francisco AlvarezC
NYM@CLE· 1-for-4
2BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #72
T2
Josh LoweLF
LAA@BAL· 0-for-2
2BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #108
T2
Davis SchneiderLF
TOR@CHC· 0-for-1
2BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #109
T2
Victor CaratiniC
MIN@KC· 0-for-2
2BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #174
10
JJ BledayLF
CINvsATH· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.5 BB, #2
T10
Nick Sogard2B
BOSvsCWS· 1-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.5 BB, #8
T10
Fernando Tatis Jr.RF
SD@AZ· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.5 BB, #9
T10
Dylan BeaversRF
BALvsLAA· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.5 BB, #14
T10
Jackson Holliday2B
BALvsLAA· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.5 BB, #19
T10
Kevin McGonigleSS
DET@SEA· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #20
T10
Agustín RamírezC
MIA@ATL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #21
T10
Chase DeLauterRF
CLEvsNYM· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #22
T10
Travis Bazzana2B
CLEvsNYM· 0-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #24
T10
Michael ConfortoDH
CHCvsTOR· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #27
T10
Jonah HeimC
ATH@CIN· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #28
T10
Seiya SuzukiRF
CHCvsTOR· 0-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #30
T10
Leody TaverasCF
BALvsLAA· 0-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #35
T10
Nasim Nuñez2B
WSH@PHI· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #44
T10
Randy ArozarenaLF
SEAvsDET· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #47
T10
Wilyer AbreuRF
BOSvsCWS· 1-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #48
T10
José Ramírez3B
CLEvsNYM· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #49
T10
Dane MyersCF
CINvsATH· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #50
T10
Bryce Harper1B
PHIvsWSH· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #52
T10
Héctor RodríguezLF
CINvsATH· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #54
T10
Nolan Schanuel1B
LAA@BAL· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #56
T10
Bryan ReynoldsLF
PIT@MIL· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #60
T10
Brady House3B
WSH@PHI· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #61
T10
Masataka YoshidaDH
BOSvsCWS· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #63
T10
Leo Jiménez3B
MIA@ATL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #65
T10
Pete Alonso1B
BALvsLAA· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #66
T10
Manny Machado3B
SD@AZ· 0-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #68
T10
Nathaniel LoweDH
CLEvsNYM· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #71
T10
Munetaka Murakami1B
CWS@BOS· 0-for-6
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #74
T10
Brandon Lowe2B
PIT@MIL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #77
T10
Miguel Vargas3B
CWS@BOS· 0-for-6
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #81
T10
Mike TroutCF
LAA@BAL· 0-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #84
T10
David Hamilton3B
MILvsPIT· 0-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #85
T10
Xander BogaertsSS
SD@AZ· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #86
T10
Jonathan OrnelasSS
ATH@CIN· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #87
T10
Marcus Semien2B
NYM@CLE· 3-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #89
T10
Ketel Marte2B
AZvsSD· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #93
T10
Kazuma Okamoto3B
TOR@CHC· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #100
T10
Luke Keaschall2B
MIN@KC· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #101
T10
Spencer Horwitz1B
PIT@MIL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #104
T10
Jake MangumCF
PIT@MIL· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #106
T10
Anthony Seigler2B
BOSvsCWS· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #113
T10
Josh BellDH
MIN@KC· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.4 BB, #114
T10
Bryson Stott2B
PHIvsWSH· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #117
T10
Bo Bichette3B
NYM@CLE· 2-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #124
T10
Alan RodenRF
MIN@KC· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #125
T10
Colson MontgomerySS
CWS@BOS· 2-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #131
T10
Zach McKinstry2B
DET@SEA· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #134
T10
Cole Young2B
SEAvsDET· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #137
T10
Luis TorrensC
NYM@CLE· 2-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #139
T10
Jarren DuranLF
BOSvsCWS· 0-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #141
T10
Miguel AmayaC
CHCvsTOR· 1-for-1
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #147
T10
Jeremiah Jackson2B
BALvsLAA· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #148
T10
Jackson ChourioLF
MILvsPIT· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #151
T10
Caleb Durbin3B
BOSvsCWS· 3-for-6
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #153
T10
Braden MontgomeryRF
CWS@BOS· 1-for-5
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #165
T10
Keibert RuizC
WSH@PHI· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #167
T10
Jose SiriCF
LAA@BAL· 2-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #176
T10
Spencer Torkelson1B
DET@SEA· 1-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #177
T10
Salvador PerezDH
KCvsMIN· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #181
T10
Tristan GraySS
MIN@KC· 0-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #182
T10
Mauricio DubónLF
ATLvsMIA· 4-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB, #186
T10
Andrés GiménezSS
TOR@CHC· 3-for-4
1BBFinal
Proj 0.2 BB, #188
T10
Ryan JeffersC
MIN@KC· 0-for-1
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB
T10
Ozzie Albies2B
ATLvsMIA· 0-for-1
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB
T10
Jared Young1B
NYM@CLE· 1-for-2
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB
T10
Tristan PetersCF
CWS@BOS· 1-for-3
1BBFinal
Proj 0.3 BB

Best MLB Walks Matchups — Thursday, August 6, 2026

Taylor Ward (SEA) is the top walks matchup on the Thursday, August 6, 2026 board at 100, with JJ Bleday (CIN) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) right behind. Every hitter on the slate is ranked by who's most likely to draw a walk — plate discipline and how freely the pitcher and bullpen issue walks, plus lineup spot. It's the read DFS and prop players make before lock.

Top walks spot: Taylor Ward

Taylor Ward (SEA) tops the board at 100, facing LHP Framber Valdez. The righty is working counts at .200 BB/PA against lefties this year — and .176 over the last two weeks, an excellent bat that turns into a walk in about 13% of his trips. And Framber Valdez has been handing out free passes to lefties lately — .114 walks per batter faced. One catch: the bullpen behind him has been stingy to that side late. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.7 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Framber Valdez too — .395 across 38 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park.

The rest of the top of the board

JJ Bleday (CIN) (100) vs RHP Mason Barnett: an excellent bat at .139 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.050).
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) (100) vs RHP Dylan Cease: a solid bat at .099 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.111).
Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) (100) vs RHP Walker Buehler: an excellent bat at .123 into an arm fairly stingy with walks against the same side (.083), hot bat.
Ian Happ (CHC) (99) vs RHP Dylan Cease: an excellent bat at .131 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.111), due to bounce back.
Elly De La Cruz (CIN) (96) vs RHP Mason Barnett: a strong bat at .114 into an arm tough to walk against the same side (.050).
Henry Bolte (ATH) (95) vs LHP Andrew Abbott: a solid bat at .093 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.210).
Nick Sogard (BOS) (94) vs RHP Luis Castillo: a strong bat at .115 into an arm handing out free passes to the same side (.118).

Platoon edges to target

Taylor Ward (SEA) — righty bat vs LHP, .200 against lefties this year.
JJ Bleday (CIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .148 against righties this year.
Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .112 against righties this year.
Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) — lefty bat vs RHP, .152 against righties this year.
Ian Happ (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .153 against righties this year.

How it played out

3 of the top 10 walks matchups landed at least one walk. Top play Taylor Ward finished with 0 walks. We post the result next to every projection so you can grade the board yourself — and so the model gets re-tuned against what actually happened.

How to read these walks matchups

Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's walks per plate appearance against the hand he's facing — weighted toward the last two weeks, then the season, then a two-year baseline. Then it layers in the bullpen, his spot in the order, and park and weather. Higher means more of it points his way. It's context, not a lock — a great spot still goes 0-for-4 sometimes, and a tough one runs into one. The edge is in stacking the odds, and since we grade every board, you can see how often the top of the list delivers.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

Who has the best walks matchup today (Thursday, August 6, 2026)?: Taylor Ward (SEA) — top of the board at 100, facing LHP Framber Valdez. An excellent bat into a beatable arm is what pushes it to No. 1.
What are the best MLB walks matchups today (Thursday, August 6, 2026)?: The top walks matchups on Thursday, August 6, 2026: Taylor Ward (100), JJ Bleday (100), Pete Crow-Armstrong (100), Geraldo Perdomo (100), Ian Happ (99). The full board ranks every hitter in every game by walks upside.
Did the top walks matchup get a walk on Thursday, August 6, 2026?: No — Taylor Ward didn't record a walk.
Which hitters have a platoon edge today?: Taylor Ward (SEA) — righty bat vs LHP, .200 against lefties this year. JJ Bleday (CIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, .148 against righties this year. Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .112 against righties this year. Geraldo Perdomo (AZ) — lefty bat vs RHP, .152 against righties this year. Ian Happ (CHC) — lefty bat vs RHP, .153 against righties this year.
How is the walks matchup score calculated?: It's a weighted read of the hitter's walks per plate appearance against the hand he's facing — the last two weeks, the current season, and a two-year baseline, with recent form counting most. Then it folds in the opposing bullpen, his expected plate appearances from the batting order, and park and weather. Scores are set 0–100 across the day's slate, so the best matchup is always 100.
What does BB/PA mean?: Walks per plate appearance — how often a hitter draws a base on balls. Around .085 (one walk every ~12 trips) is league average; .12+ is elite plate discipline. The matchup pairs the hitter's walk rate with how freely the pitcher gives them up.
What does the score actually mean?: Higher is better for the hitter. 80s and 90s mean the bat, the pitcher, and the park all line up. 40s and 50s mean it's neutral to tough. It's a ranking of how today's spots stack up against each other — not the odds of a walk.
What's the confidence meter?: It's how much data is behind the call — sample size on both the hitter and the pitcher, plus whether the lineup's official. A high score with low confidence is a thinner read than the same score backed by a deep track record. It's not a probability of a walk.
What is a platoon split (handedness split)?: Most hitters do better against the opposite hand — a lefty bat vs. a righty arm, and vice versa. That gap is the platoon split. The score leans hard on each hitter's rate against the hand he's facing today, which is why the same guy can rank very differently day to day.
What are park factors?: Parks aren't neutral. Dimensions, altitude, and weather make some easier to hit in than others. Above 1.00 bumps the score, below 1.00 trims it — same hitter, higher grade in a hitter's park than a pitcher's.
What do "2W", "SZN" and "2Y" mean?: The timeframes behind each rate: the last two weeks (recent form), the current season, and a trailing two years (a stable baseline). Recent form counts most, and small samples get pulled toward league average so a hot week doesn't fool the model.
What do "≈ est", "Due" and "Not starting" mean?: "≈ est" is a hitter we don't have splits for yet — a rookie or unmatched ID — shown at a league-baseline estimate instead of dropped. "Due" means he hasn't recorded a walk in a while and profiles for regression. "Not starting" means he was projected but didn't make the official lineup, so he slides to the bottom where you can still look him up.
Can I use this for walks props or DFS?: That's what it's built for — pre-slate research. The board surfaces which hitters have the best conditions today, and where one exists, we show the book's "1+ walk" line so you can shop the price. We're not a sportsbook and we don't post picks — we show the matchup data, the line, and the result. (Best-price and all-book odds are a Pro feature.)
How accurate is the model?: We grade every board against real results, and the top of the board lands a walk a lot more often than the slate as a whole. Weights get re-tuned weekly against actual outcomes on a held-out split, and since results sit next to projections, you can audit the hit rate yourself on any past date.
When do lineups update?: Projected lineups (marked "Proj") come from each team's last game. Official lineups usually drop about two hours before first pitch, and the board updates itself as they post. Batting order is a big driver, so it's worth a second look mid-afternoon — rankings shift as lineups lock.
Is MatchWiz free?: Yes. The full board, every game page, and the daily archive are free, no login. Best-price odds and the betting tools are the paid tier.

What the walks board is

The Walks board projects the chance a hitter draws a walk. One statistical model scores every matchup on the slate the same way — a star and a backup judged on the matchup in front of them, not their name — and every number is graded against the real box score once the games go final.

How the model gets its number

It isn't a gut call or a name game. The projection is built from a few things:

His plate discipline.
The pitcher's control.
The count leverage in the matchup.

Those pieces combine into one number, and the model re-tunes itself weekly against how its past calls actually landed.

Is there a betting edge here?

An over-only market with heavy juice; our overs grade anti-predictive and lose to the vig. No edge — transparency board.

How to use it

Spot the patient-hitter-vs-wild-arm setups; not a bettable edge.

Everything here is a research signal from the model, graded in public — not betting advice, and no outcome is guaranteed.

Learn more: How the model works · The picks story · Today's plays